38% of women keep their maiden name

[Lyubov]

I'm not sure how accurate this study is, because names might have been kept on Facebook merely for convenience. But who knows.

Many a young girl has filled up an old notebook or a spare scrap of paper trying out a different name for size.

But it seems that by the time they grow up, they have rather gone off the idea – with a study claiming that one in three new brides now chooses not to take her husband's surname.

The proportion of women who opt to hold on to their maiden name is highest among those in their 20s.

Just 62 per cent of that age group choose to use their husband's family name, the research suggests.

For those in their 30s, the number rises to 74 per cent and for women in their 60s it stands at 88 per cent. The survey was carried out by Facebook, which has 33million UK users.

It analysed the names of women on the social media site who said they were married – and compared them to their husbands' profiles.

Rachel Thwaites, from the University of York, said the statistics showed younger women were increasingly identifying themselves as feminists.

'The discussion has opened up slightly, but the norm of name changing is still prevalent and there remains cultural and social pressure on women to change names,' she said.

'Women who resist this pressure are often doing so as a feminist decision or a move for equality in their relationship.'.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357789/Third-married-women-twenties-maiden-names-experts-claim-embracing-feminism.html#ixzz2YQyEDyNO

[Bonaventure]

That's crazy.

[Penelope]

I honestly considered keeping my maiden name, but only because my married name will rhyme with my first name, which is silly. I've come to terms with my soon-to-be silly name, though. It'll be a great conversation starter and a good lesson in humility.

I do think that the statistics in this article are inaccurate at best. I've known women who change their last name after getting married but who don't do it on Facebook either because they don't know how or they want their friends to know who they are or be able to find them. Actually, a lot of my FB friends who have gotten married just tack their married names on after their maiden names, even if they take their husbands' names legally.

One thing that I think is most stupid about this whole "movement" about not taking husbands' names on some kind of feminist principle is that these women (most of them anyway) end up keeping their fathers' names. Tell me how that helps to bring down the patriarchy, really?

And what family name will these women give their children? Their last names? Their husbands last names? A hyphenated combination of the two? And what should their daughters do upon getting married? Tack on a third last name to their already two-part hyphenated last name? And what if the husband and the wife both have hyphenated last names? Does everyone then get a four-part last name? It's just a ridiculous system.

One really stupid thing I recently heard about was a family where the husband had his name, the wife kept her (father's) last name, and when they had a kid, they created some kind of portmanteau of the two last names to give their child a brand new combo last name.

[LouisIX]

One really stupid thing I recently heard about was a family where the husband had his name, the wife kept her (father's) last name, and when they had a kid, they created some kind of portmanteau of the two last names to give their child a brand new combo last name.

People have no pride in their ancestry anymore.

[The Harlequin King]

And what family name will these women give their children? Their last names? Their husbands last names? A hyphenated combination of the two? And what should their daughters do upon getting married? Tack on a third last name to their already two-part hyphenated last name? And what if the husband and the wife both have hyphenated last names? Does everyone then get a four-part last name? It's just a ridiculous system.

All good questions, but that's one reason why names among the nobility get so long. No one wants to get forgotten. In American terms, it would be like if your mom was from the Rockefeller family and your dad was an unknown. There's a good chance your last name would still have Rockefeller somewhere in it, simply because it's so distinguished that you'd want to identify with that. Perhaps your grandchildren would be Rockefeller-Hearst-Ford or something.

[erin is nice]

I kept my maiden name 

I like it better, for obvious reasons 

[Greg]

My wife kept hers too and our children all have her surname.  Several reasons, not least of which was to honour her parents and the fact she came to live in England and left Russia and her parents behind.  They seemed to appreciate the gesture of their name living on in half Russian grandchildren and they are very good grandparents and often visit and look after the children when they go to Russia.

Plus, there are a lot of people already with my family name as two of my brothers have over 10 children a piece.

I don't see the big deal personally.

[Bonaventure]

Apart from a similar Russian cultural reason, my wife and my children would have to have my last name. A woman could not change her surname to mine won't embrace any of my "wackier" ideas.

[LouisIX]

I'm sure a lot of this is cultural.  I know that there are certain parts of French Canada in which, for whatever reason, women simply never take their husband's name.  In the States, however, this is the custom and to deviate it from it without good reason seems to be indicative of some underlying cause for concern.  I wouldn't say the same about those areas in French Canada, however, since that is not the norm there.

[Bonaventure]

Yes, there are different cultural takes, and naming differences. The Spanish speaking world stands out, for example.

However, in these United States, barring the occasional exception, the only reason a girl won't take her husbands name is because she is a liberal. Now if she won't even budge on my seven letter las name, that's already a sign.

[Lyubov]

I'm sure a lot of this is cultural.  I know that there are certain parts of French Canada in which, for whatever reason, women simply never take their husband's name.  In the States, however, this is the custom and to deviate it from it without good reason seems to be indicative of some underlying cause for concern.  I wouldn't say the same about those areas in French Canada, however, since that is not the norm there.

I'm don't know much about the particular groups you're speaking of, but French Canadians in general are notoriously liberal.

[Archer]

I would be insulted if my wife hadn't taken my name.  "...And the two shall become one..." is a good formula to build your marriage on.  Obviously the husband and wife are not going to be joined at the hip and will still enjoy their unique interests etc. 

But, in this case, a name is your identity.  In the United States I see no good reason for the wife to refuse to take her husbands name and join her identity to his. 

[Bonaventure]

I would be insulted if my wife hadn't taken my name.  "...And the two shall become one..." is a good formula to build your marriage on.  Obviously the husband and wife are not going to be joined at the hip and will still enjoy their unique interests etc. 

But, in this case, a name is your identity.  In the United States I see no good reason for the wife to refuse to take her husbands name and join her identity to his.

Yeah, and I've already had my fair share of liberalism. I grew up in liberalism, live in a city immersed in liberalism, and so on. I'll be damned if my household is a liberal one.

[FaithByProxy]

This trend is actually really annoying to me. That and the hyphenated name trend. It just reeks of rebellion and "special snowflake" syndrome.

If the feminists were really so concerned about keeping their own name due to not wanting to feel like they are their "husband's property", then they should also refuse to wear a wedding ring, since wedding rings are just holdovers from the days of having to pay a dowry.

As others have said - if a woman can't sacrifice something as small as her last name for her new husband, then things are only going to get worse going forward.

I, for one, am happy to change my name. Changing your name has a very positive meaning in Catholicism. It speaks of new beginnings, which is very apt for a couple beginning their vocation to married life.

[zork]

My old roommate's brother-in-law (the guy married my friend's younger sister) recently changed his last name to his wife's maiden name. Knowing some of his background combined with his immature liberal nature, I kind see why he would do it; however, any reason would be a stretch, and I lost a ton of respect for him for that.

On a related note, I never understood why hispanics have so many last names. I get that it is a long-standing cultural thing, but it doesn't make sense to me. It's annoying that people can't just keep things simple.